President is testing his midterm message on the economy in a , even as voters largely disapprove of his stewardship. The event’s promoted focus is the , which quadrupled the federal deduction for state and local taxes, a critical change for high-tax states like New York.
Meanwhile, Republicans are struggling Trump’s . And in Havana, a huge crowd of Cubans is taunting Trump while protesting the U.S. indictment former President Ra煤l Castro amid the Trump administration’s pressure campaign.
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A festive crowd taunts Trump in Havana
鈥淲ho do they think they are to judge Ra煤l?鈥� Gerardo Hern谩ndez asked as the crowd cheered. He鈥檚 one of five Cubans accused of being a spy who was imprisoned and later released by the U.S. in 2014.
鈥淔or the United States, the law is a tailor-made suit,鈥� he said before punching the air with this fist, to a shout of 鈥淰iva Ra煤l!鈥�
The crowd responded to his call: 鈥淗omeland or death, we will vanquish!鈥�
Thousands of people have crowded along Havana鈥檚 famed seawall to decry the U.S. indictment. Attendees include daughter, Mariela Castro, and his grandson, Ra煤l Guillermo Rodr铆guez Castro. Salsa songs with biting anti-Trump lyrics are booming across the old city.
Would a Venezuela playbook work in Cuba? Not so fast, expert warns
The Castro indictment has many thinking the Trump administration is following a playbook it used to in a military operation in January. Maduro is now imprisoned in the U.S. on federal and has pleaded not guilty.
The U.S. military of the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier group for maritime exercises in the Caribbean Sea as the charges against Castro were announced. But professor William LeoGrande, a Latin America specialist at American University, warned against assumptions that a Maduro-like extraction would succeed in Cuba.
鈥淭he United States certainly has the military capability to seize Ra煤l Castro, just as they seized Maduro, although it would probably be more costly,鈥� LeoGrande said. But Castro has been retired for almost a decade. 鈥淗e still has influence and the leadership seeks his opinion on major decisions, but he is not running the government on a day-to-day basis. If the US were to abduct him, it would not change the operations of government, unlike what happened in Venezuela.鈥�
Cubans protest US indictment of Castro in front of US embassy
A huge crowd of Cubans rallied Friday outside the U.S. Embassy in Havana to honor former President and to protest the Trump administration鈥檚 criminal indictment.
鈥淭he Cuban people reaffirm that neither threats, nor blockade, nor energy embargo, nor false accusations will be able to break the will of an entire people in defense of their Revolution,鈥� read a statement published by state media.
Ra煤l Castro has rarely appeared in public since stepping down and handing over to President , who was joined by military leaders at the rally.
Castro was last seen surrounded by tens of thousands of people on May 1.
US approves modest arms sale for Ukraine to sustain air defenses
The Trump administration has approved a modest $108 million arms sale to Ukraine that will help the country maintain and sustain its midrange air defense missile system.
The State Department announced the sale of ground-to-air Hawk missile components, spare parts and logistic support late Thursday. The administration has notably reduced military support for Ukraine over the past 18 months as it seeks to mediate an agreement with Russia to end the conflict.
The sale 鈥渨ill improve Ukraine鈥檚 capability to meet current and future threats by further equipping it to conduct self-defense and regional security missions with a more robust integrated air defense capability,鈥� the department said in a statement.
Republicans call off vote on Iran war resolution that was on the verge of passing
Republicans struggled Thursday to find the votes to dismiss legislation that would compel to withdraw from the , delaying planned votes on the matter into June.
The House had scheduled a vote on a war powers resolution, brought by Democrats, that would rein in Trump鈥檚 military campaign. But as it became clear that Republicans would not have the numbers to defeat the bill, GOP leaders declined to hold a vote on it. It was the latest sign of the slipping support in Congress for a war that Trump launched more than two months ago without congressional approval.
Republicans in the Senate are also working to ensure they have the votes to dismiss another war powers resolution that earlier this week, when four GOP senators supported the resolution and three others were absent from the vote.
The actions by congressional leaders showed Republicans are struggling to maintain political backing for Trump鈥檚 handling of the war.
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NATO allies bewildered by Trump鈥檚 about-face on US troop moves in Europe
NATO allies and defense officials expressed bewilderment at Trump鈥檚 decision to send to Poland.
鈥淚t is confusing indeed, and not always easy to navigate,鈥� Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters at a meeting she was hosting of her NATO counterparts, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
U.S. defense officials were also confused. 鈥淲e just spent the better part of two weeks reacting to the first announcement. We don鈥檛 know what this means either,鈥� said one of two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters.
NATO allies have been blindsided, despite a U.S. pledge to coordinate troop deployments. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to stay well-synchronized with our allies moving forward,鈥� NATO鈥檚 top military officer, U.S. Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, promised on Wednesday.
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Trump says he鈥檚 sending 5,000 more troops to Poland, stirring confusion
Trump on Thursday said the U.S. will send an additional 5,000 troops to Poland, stirring confusion following weeks of changing statements from Trump and his administration about in Europe.
The Trump administration has said it was reducing levels in Europe by about 5,000 troops, and U.S. officials confirmed about 4,000 service members were . Trump鈥檚 social media announcement raises more uncertainty for European allies that have been blindsided by the changes, as the administration has complained about NATO members not shouldering enough of the burden of their own defense and .
Trump and the Pentagon have said in recent weeks that they were drawing down at least 5,000 troops in Germany after said the U.S. was being 鈥渉umiliated鈥� by the Iranian leadership and criticized what he called a .
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Trump aims to promote his tax law changes to voters soured on the economy
Trump is heading to a toss-up congressional district in New York on Friday to test his midterm message on the economy, even as voters largely disapprove of his stewardship of it.
Trump will travel to the Hudson Valley area to appear with Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, who is up for reelection in what will be one of the most closely watched . The focus of the event is to promote the , particularly the quadrupling of the deduction for state and local taxes, which is critical in a high-tax state like New York.
The White House has been looking for more opportunities to highlight Trump鈥檚 economic accomplishments as his approval rating on the economy has slumped. About one-third of U.S. adults approve of how Trump is handling the economy, according to , down slightly from 40% at the start of Trump鈥檚 second term.
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